Transcript Highlights:

• In Buckeye, this is the case in nearly every annexation we request, or, excuse me, that we receive.
• request of $400,000 ongoing dollars to keep this program going.
• So hopefully during budget negotiations, we can remember this testimony, and I vote aye.
• request of $400,000 ongoing dollars to keep this program going.
• So hopefully during budget negotiations, we can remember this testimony and I vote aye.

Committee: Senate Senate Federalism and Family Law Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee first heard HB 2793, which would let cities and towns expedite annexations when 100% of the affected property owners request it, and would modernize notice requirements by allowing electronic newspaper publication and a single on-site notice for small single-parcel annexations. Buckeye supported the bill as a way to streamline uncontested annexations and reduce delay and cost, while a senator raised concerns based on a recent contentious Tucson annexation and the speed of public notice. The committee voted 4-3 to give HB 2793 a do pass recommendation. Members then considered HB 2041, which would prohibit a parent, guardian, or custodian from being found to have abused or neglected a child solely because poverty prevented them from providing supervision, clothing, food, shelter, or medical care. Child welfare advocates supported the bill as a step toward decriminalizing poverty, while another witness argued it did not go far enough because it still allowed investigations based on poverty. Several members said they supported the concept but wanted further changes, and the bill passed 4-3. The committee also approved HB 2239, creating a child care grant program and infrastructure fund at DES to expand access in underserved areas; testimony from child care providers and parents emphasized shortages, workforce challenges, and the need for facilities, and the committee adopted an amendment adding tax credit language and eligible applicants before passing the bill 6-0 with one not voting. HB 2321, requiring DCS to place a credit freeze on a child’s credit report when the child enters care, passed 7-0 without testimony. HB 2371, allowing consenting divorcing parties without minor children to use AI-assisted arbitration and adding an amendment on therapeutic interventions and expert testimony in parenting cases, drew concerns about using AI for binding family-law decisions and about the amendment’s relevance; it passed 4-3. HB 2594, strengthening protections for participants in the address confidentiality program in family-law matters and sealing related voter records, received strong support from a witness describing repeated attempts by an ex-partner to obtain a protected address and passed 7-0 after amendment. HB 2661, requiring DCS to inform parents under investigation that they may delegate temporary guardianship and, as amended, limiting additional documentation requirements, passed 4-3 despite concerns that it gave too much discretion to parents accused of abuse or neglect.

Transcript Highlights:

• In Buckeye, this is the case in nearly every annexation we request, or excuse me, that we receive.
• request of $400,000 ongoing dollars to keep this program going.
• So hopefully during budget negotiations, we can remember this testimony, and I vote aye.
• request of $400,000 ongoing dollars to keep this program going.
• So hopefully during budget negotiations, we can remember this testimony and I vote aye.

Bills: HB2041 , HB2144 , HB2239 , HB2321 , HB2371 , HB2594 , HB2661 , HB2662 , HB2793 , HB2968 , HB2995

Committee: Senate Federalism and Family Law

Keywords: child neglect, financial resources, behavioral health, Christian Science treatment, parental rights, child support, preborn children, retroactive support, medical expenses, child welfare, child care, grant program, low-income, early learning, infrastructure, economic growth, security freeze, credit reporting, dependent children, parental notification

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> department responsible for budgeting, department responsible for budgeting, administrative<00:53
• </c><00:53:57.200><c> budgeting</c> transfer the budget budgeting transfer the budget budgeting administrative
• So, we’re requesting support and approval of this bill. Thank you.
• ><c> and</c> So, we're requesting support and So, we're requesting support and approval<00:54:50.160>
• </c> transfer, does DLIR get the budgeted transfer, does DLIR get the budgeted amount<00:55:16.960><c

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 83, which would require hotel keepers to give adequate notice of service disruptions to guests and third-party vendors. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Office of Consumer Protection supported the bill but asked for amendments to restore remedies and add a nonwaiver provision, arguing that without penalties the measure would lack consequences and that consumers should not be able to waive the notice rights. Supporters, including Unite Here Local 5 and individual testifiers, said guests deserve transparency and meaningful recourse when disruptions occur, especially for labor disputes, construction, or other service interruptions that affect the experience they paid for. Hotel industry representatives, including the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, and hotel workers/testifiers, opposed the bill in its current form while offering amendments. They said the measure was too broad, difficult to implement, and could interfere with collective bargaining, third-party booking systems, and existing contracts. They also argued that some disruptions are not easily known in advance and that the bill unfairly singles out hotels compared with other industries. One testifier emphasized that notice should be required only for actual, known disruptions rather than potential events, and another raised concerns about applying the bill to properties not directly involved in a labor dispute. After the SB 83 testimony, the committee moved on to SB 2798, which would make permanent and expand statewide the agricultural enforcement pilot program created in 2025 and rename it the agricultural enforcement program. The chair introduced the measure and called on the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity as the first testifier, but the transcript excerpt ends before testimony or any vote on SB 2798.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was hoping in the governor's budget there would be some attention, with a dollar sign in front of it
• </c><01:27:46.560><c> for</c> we have released a a request for we have released a a request for information
• you have for the administrative request you have for that<01:29:36.600><c> assistant</c> Mr.
• Chair, Senator Abeler, the RFI is not included in the governor's budget.
• So I think, you know, if you all want to request technical assistance on this, we can take it back to

Committee: Senate Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And we can then revisit at a budget.
• </c><00:53:44.720><c> for</c> You have to ever disqualify requests for You have to ever disqualify requests
• </c><01:15:07.520><c> those</c> even if a district requested those even if a district requested those
• Um I believe Representative Fellows requested it initially.
• So we've been requested it initially.

Committee: House Education Funding

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have 11 bills on our agenda today at the request of the authors.
• Very briefly, I moved the bill and this is a budget issue. Thank you.
• Very briefly, I move the bill, and this is a budget issue.
• As far as the future request for funding, that future request for funding can also come from the Department
• But I think that as of now, there isn't going to be a shift in the request for the funding.

Committee: Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development

Summary: The committee heard several bills, beginning with SB 936 on nitrous oxide sales. Senator Blakespear and supporters, including Orange and Humboldt County supervisors and public safety, medical, waste, and local government groups, argued the bill would curb youth misuse, impaired driving, and hazardous waste by prohibiting retail sale of nitrous oxide canisters larger than eight grams while preserving legitimate uses. There was no lead opposition testimony, though members raised questions about enforcement and existing regulatory agencies. The committee ultimately moved the bill on a due pass basis to Senate Appropriations, with broad support and no recorded opposition at the time of the vote. Members also heard SB 1312 on abandoned cemeteries and SB 1340 on small business contracting transparency. SB 1312 would use the existing cemetery workgroup process to develop recommendations for addressing abandoned cemeteries, with the author and the Cemetery and Mortuary Association describing vandalism, theft, and inadequate endowment funds as ongoing problems. SB 1340 would require state agencies to report more detailed small business contracting information, including actual payments, to the Office of the Small Business Advocate; the Controller’s office supported the measure as a way to improve accountability and help small businesses compete for state work. Both bills were moved forward on due pass motions to Senate Appropriations. The committee also considered SB 903 on artificial intelligence in mental health care, SB 1271 on midwifery preceptor data, and SB 1327 on EV charger accuracy oversight. SB 903 drew strong support from mental health and professional groups that said AI should not replace licensed clinicians, while medical and technology groups opposed it unless amended, warning the definitions were too broad and could hinder beneficial tools and research; the author said the bill was meant to keep a human clinician in the loop and allow administrative uses with consent. SB 1271 was supported by midwives and birth workers who said California needs better data on preceptor capacity to expand training and address maternity care deserts; it advanced to Senate Health. SB 1327 would shift EV charger accuracy oversight from CDFA’s weights and measures division to the California Energy Commission; supporters said this would modernize and standardize enforcement, while county sealers and others opposed the shift as unnecessary, costly, and potentially weakening consumer protections. SB 1327 passed on a divided vote to Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications. Several bills were held on call after votes, and the committee established quorum before taking formal actions.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is $2,750,000 in the budget to rename this airport. Oh, it's not going to cost us anything.
• There is $2,750,000 in the budget to rename this airport. Oh, it's not going to cost us anything.
• At the request of the sponsor, show that bill temporarily postponed without objection.
• At the request of the sponsor, show that bill temporarily postponed without objection.
• So they would be requested and provided in the same manner that any other public record request would

Summary: The House convened with prayer, moments of silence for Reverend Jesse Jackson and former State Attorney Joseph Di Alessandro, and a quorum present. Members then took up a special order calendar and considered a series of bills, with several recognitions and brief recesses interspersed throughout the day. Early floor action focused on civil justice and estates measures. The House passed CS/HB 1407 on commencement of civil actions, clarifying when a complainant may file an employment discrimination suit if the Florida Commission on Human Relations does not issue a right-to-sue notice. It also passed HB 895 on trustee settlement and discharge, allowing certain non-adversarial irrevocable trusts to be discharged without court involvement; CS/HB 1337 on estates, expanding personal representative authority and increasing small-estate thresholds; and CS/HB 131 on curators of estates, codifying a tool for court protection when the state faces potential loss. Each of these bills passed unanimously or near-unanimously after brief sponsor explanations and, in the case of HB 895, a technical amendment. The House also approved CS/HB 351 on concurrent legislative jurisdiction over U.S. military installations, which would allow juvenile offenses on certain installations to be handled in state court rather than federal court, and CS/HB 441 on conservation lands, which increases notice and transparency requirements for land swaps involving conservation property. Members from both parties praised the conservation bill as a response to public concern over land swaps. Additional measures passed included HB 409 requiring K-12 schools to observe Veterans Day, CS/HB 461 allowing eligible students to volunteer at polling locations for community service hours, CS/HB 1115 creating grants for genetic counseling education, HB 569 revising forensic client services for persons with developmental disabilities, CS/HB 505 regulating virtual currency kiosks to combat senior fraud, and HB 271 addressing premium reporting rules for foreign and alien bail bond insurers. The most extended debate centered on CS/CS/HB 919, which creates a statutory definition for major commercial service airports and preempts local naming authority for seven major airports, including a proposal to rename Palm Beach International Airport for President Donald J. Trump. The bill drew sharp partisan debate over local control, costs, trademark/licensing concerns, and the appropriateness of honoring a sitting president. Amendments to delay the naming until after Trump leaves office and to combine his name with John F. Kennedy’s were both defeated. After structured debate, the bill passed 81-? yeas (the transcript records 81 yeas) and was sent on. The House also began debate on HB 191 regarding re-employment assistance eligibility verification, with the sponsor explaining added disqualifications and identity/eligibility checks; questioning began but the transcript ends before final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is $2,750,000 in the budget to rename this airport. Oh, it's not going to cost us anything.
• There is $2,750,000 in the budget to rename this airport. Oh, it's not going to cost us anything.
• At the request of the sponsor, show that bill temporarily postponed without objection.
• So they would be requested and provided in the same manner that any other public record request would
• documents and also requires the equal sharing of documents requested to the entire school board.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a request for approval of architectural services for a new lab, um, that's actually looking to
• So, uh, we are requesting approval for the architectural services, and then I'm sure at some later time
• for the uh >> Do you have an overall micro budget number for the entire project yet?
• “Item in the budget.” “Any other questions?” “Thank you.” “You mean resources.” “Good afternoon.
• We are requesting a no-cost amendment in our contract.

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• as introduced for a couple of years, and with the committee amendment it's only for this upcoming budget
• evaluation agency, or mental health agency unless certain criteria have been met, such as any person at request
• Yes, Budget Travelers. Thank you. Just a very quick question.
• Madam Chair, members, I don't believe a fiscal note has been requested, but I can do so in your name
• representative do you have a fiscal note on this I'm sure members I don't believe a fiscal note has been requested

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The meeting was a caucus review of a large slate of House and Senate bills, with staff giving short descriptions and members flagging a few concerns. Topics included veterans’ services and courts, child care grants, midwife medication authority, home- and community-based services funding, EMS reciprocity, prescription monitoring, electronic monitoring in care facilities, pregnancy resource center funding, mental health transportation, Access coverage for mild obstructive sleep apnea, school spending requirements, mobile home park training, local government investment pools, task order contract posting, tourism improvement areas, child welfare and kinship placement, neglect standards, family court evidence, prostate cancer cost sharing, assisted living hearings, manufactured home installer licensing, supervised parenting time, vulnerable adult trespass penalties, uranium contamination monitoring, a gas and petroleum refinery study committee, and state park fee exemptions for veterans. Several bills were described as unanimous or on consent, while others drew objections or were noted as controversial. Members raised privacy concerns about electronic monitoring in nursing homes, due process and rural capacity concerns about restricting police transport for mental health patients, opposition to pregnancy resource center appropriations, concerns about environmental review for power plant replacement, and questions about the Access sleep apnea mandate as potentially favoring vendors. Some bills were noted as having committee amendments, including changes to appropriations, eligibility criteria, reporting requirements, and definitions. No floor votes were taken in the transcript itself; instead, the chair repeatedly noted whether bills were unanimous, on consent, or had split votes in committee. The caucus also heard brief announcements about an upcoming breakfast with the CAP director, a Latino Caucus meeting, and an Affordability Award presented to Representative Volk, after which the caucus adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we have $19.6 million to fill $250 million in project requests.
• FPC PMs review every request.
• again because you're part of endorsing that project to be requested.
• You have to resubmit an e-court's request each November.
• And so last October, we received 154 project requests.

Committee: House Ways & Means

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In 1988 and 1989, the state did not respond to our request for compact negotiations.
• My bureau chief requested that I be released.
• and treating all requests as illegitimate.
• , and were able to support the request, but it was very costly and...
• I believe it's reviewing every ADA request for the state.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• I would request that all witnesses... testimony reflect that intention.
• I also screen locate requests from contractors and submit and track all of our own locate request data
• tickets or those type of requests in a different way when they come in?
• When we We have those requests for many miles of request or all.
• What we do is when we have those requests on those big. projects.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Airbnb complies with these subpoena requests regularly and rarely goes to court over the request, as
• Could a city request information? I want to see all your list... You can request that information.
• Could a city request information?
• I know the company feels those requests on a regular basis.
• and the burden on platforms to comply with this request.

Summary: The committee heard multiple bills, with extensive discussion focused on short-term rental regulation, street vending, park/public safety financing, transit-oriented housing fees, and demographic data collection. SB 346 would require short-term rental platforms to provide local governments with listing addresses and related information to help collect transient occupancy taxes and enforce local ordinances; supporters argued cities and counties need the data to identify unlicensed operators and recover taxes, while opposition from platforms raised privacy and due process concerns and said administrative subpoenas already exist. The bill was amended and passed 7-0 to the Judiciary Committee. SB 635, the Street Vendor Business Protection Act, sought to protect street vendors’ personal information from being shared in ways that could expose them to federal immigration enforcement; supporters described raids and fear in vendor communities, and the bill passed 6-1 to Public Safety. SB 499 would clarify that certain park and recreation facilities designated in local safety or hazard mitigation plans can qualify for fee deferral exemptions when they serve emergency or public safety functions; supporters said parks can serve as fire buffers, evacuation sites, and recovery hubs, while some housing advocates sought a clearer nexus to development impacts. The bill passed as amended 6-0 to Appropriations. SB 358, which would modernize traffic impact fee rules to better reflect lower automobile trip generation for walkable, transit-oriented housing, drew support from housing and transportation advocates and passed 8-0 to Appropriations. SB 515, aimed at improving demographic data collection and reporting by local governments and state entities, passed to Appropriations on a 4-0 vote. The committee also took up SB 276, presented by Assembly Member Stefani on behalf of Senator Wiener, which would allow San Francisco to create a permit-and-enforcement system for the sale of commonly stolen goods on sidewalks. Supporters said the measure is needed to address fencing operations and protect legitimate vendors, while emphasizing it is narrowly targeted and not aimed at food vendors or permitted sellers. The transcript ends during testimony on SB 276, with supporters from the Mission street vendor community and San Francisco Public Works describing enforcement problems and the need for clearer rules and city resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• , considering that your budget, when is your budget implementation?
• So the budget process is year-long. We submit a tentative budget to the state in August.
• The budget process is year-long.
• We submit a tentative budget to the state in August and our final budget in September.
• We've seen the House budget proposal, and we've seen the Senate's budget proposal.

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:23:23.600><c> 60</c> know the providers were requesting 60 know the providers were requesting
• You just simply say, "Here's your budget. budget. budget.
• budget bill.
• </c> going to be debating broader budget going to be debating broader budget items,<02:04:28.800><c>
• Um but human services budget bill.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The committees resumed discussion of amendments to a bill dealing with licensing moratoria, change-of-ownership rules, and related provider oversight issues. Amendment A8 would prevent a licensing moratorium for certain intermediate care service settings from blocking a new license when the change is due to a change of ownership, including temporary licenses and transitional licenses. Department of Human Services staff said they were still reviewing the language but explained the department’s concern was maintaining program integrity and ensuring owners go through full change-of-ownership review so the agency can see who owns a provider and check compliance history. Senators supporting the amendment argued it would keep legitimate businesses from being harmed by a moratorium and could help preserve providers when ownership changes or family members take over after a death. A8 was adopted on a roll call, with both committees voting in support. Amendment A9, also on the moratorium topic, would exempt a change of ownership from the moratorium so long as it does not increase license capacity or service scope. The department said it needed more analysis to avoid unintended consequences, but the amendment was added to the working bill. Amendment A10 proposed a more detailed, data-driven framework for the moratorium and included a provision about refunds after implementation; department staff said the language would add cost and would require technical assistance, while senators emphasized the need to address licensure backlogs and avoid making provider delays worse. A10 was approved by the committees, though not unanimously. Amendment A11 would have set standards for how the commissioner designates provider types or program areas as moderate or high risk, with added transparency criteria. The department said the commissioner already has that authority and raised concerns about federal requirements and the state’s corrective action plan, and Senator Hoffman withdrew the amendment. Amendment A12, offered by Senator Fateh, would preserve remote supports by removing bill language that repealed the service and would add safeguards for remote overnight supervision, including staffing ratios to ensure emergency response times can be met. Several senators supported keeping remote services as an important, cost-effective option amid workforce shortages, while the department said it had program integrity concerns and supported the governor’s proposal to remove the service. The committee nevertheless advanced A12, with members noting the need to balance safety and integrity with access to services.

Transcript Highlights:

• A reserve study is a budget planning tool that looks at parts of a building a condominium association
• I've seen in a particular case that we were on, I saw a $300,000 budget be utilized for a recreation
• , Which again just came out on the news, the restoration budget piece is somewhere in the $18 million
• Dade County, Broward County, Boca has done a great job requesting to inspect those buildings as well.
• Day County, Broward County, Boca has done a great job, you know, requesting to inspect those building

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on condominiums, focusing on recent statutory changes, building safety, reserve studies, inspections, insurance, and related enforcement issues. Pete Dunbar, speaking for the Florida Bar’s Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, reviewed the evolution of Florida’s condominium law and recommended several refinements, including allowing boards to levy special assessments and borrow for post-inspection repairs, easing termination when repair costs exceed value, clarifying treatment of nonresidential condominiums, strengthening recall procedures, clarifying reserve and inspection standards, addressing conflicts of interest, improving electronic participation, and cleaning up notice and disclosure requirements. He also suggested revising insurance provisions so a third coverage option could be used more effectively. Ron Liseca and engineer Mr. Noguera explained the milestone inspection and Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SERS) process, emphasizing that milestone inspections assess structural deterioration while SERS estimates long-term repair and reserve funding needs. They described the 25- and 30-year inspection timelines, the lack of a central statewide database, and the practical challenges of finding qualified professionals and educating associations. Secretary Melanie Griffin said DBPR oversees 27,750 condominium associations, has increased outreach and complaint resolution, and has seen a 39% increase in complaints this fiscal year. She reported that about 11,270 associations self-reported buildings three stories or higher, and that as of early February DBPR had received 4,096 SERS completion submissions after follow-up outreach, with a median reported SERS cost of $6,000, though she cautioned that much of the optional data is unreliable. Emilio Rodriguez, a contractor, stressed the cost and capacity challenges facing associations and contractors, warning that some projects are delayed by board disputes, legal challenges, and a shortage of qualified labor, which can lead to higher assessments and repeated repairs. Members asked about enforcement, insurance availability, coastal deterioration, sinking and foundation issues, and private provider conflicts of interest. Witnesses generally supported more uniform standards, better local and state coordination, and possible tighter oversight of private providers, while cautioning against frequent statutory changes that could add confusion. In closing discussion, members highlighted the burden on older residents and fixed-income owners, the need to keep communities habitable, and the importance of clearer allocation of assessments and stronger board accountability.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 109 is the Budget Act of 2026.
• and related toward the budget.
• fund this budget.
• But without a doubt, this is a budget that others have called an imperfect budget. It is.
• I want to thank our budget chair and all I want to thank our budget chair and all of the budget sub-chairs

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the first time that this committee, after approving or reviewing the budget rules, has confronted
• </c> available but relative to the budget available but relative to the budget rules<00:03:27.480><c>
• </c><00:08:29.080><c> rules</c> new budget rules new budget rules as<00:08:30.440><c> well</c><00:08:
• For the record, Brian Do with Minnesota Management and Budget.
• I've done a lot of budgeting in my time.

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our budget problem is not because of including inflation in our budget projections.
• Our budget problem is not inflation.
• We got to put Minnesota budget first.
• ,</c> federal funds, a third of the budget, federal funds, a third of the budget, what<00:09:46.160><
• carefully in every budget area.

Keywords: 1183, house